The Weather Underground

This is the astonishing story of how a group of hitherto nonviolent student activists came to advocate the violent overthrow of capitalism and the U.S. government and commit two dozen acts of domestic terrorism, including bombings of the Pentagon and the U.S. Capitol. When the Students for a Democratic Society splintered into factions in 1969, the Weathermen decided that "doing nothing was violence, too." Their efforts to "bring the [Vietnam] war home" began with the Days of Rage, a rampage through a rich section of Chicago, which isolated and marginalized them, without changing their minds about tactics. They went underground and stayed there until the movement lost momentum with the end of the war and they began turning themselves in. A few served prison terms, mostly for later actions, but the FBI broke so many laws pursuing them that prosecution was compromised and some Weathermen today hold prestigious positions in academe. Their recollections often express regret about tactics but still insist on their critique of society. The DVD includes a short film about Weatherman David Gilbert that is remarkable in its own right. This Academy Award nominee is highly recommended.-John Hiett, Iowa City P.L. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.